Targeted therapies in the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: update.

After several years of clinical trials in the setting of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that were characterized by a lack of efficacy of chemotherapy over best supportive care, we have more recently seen meaningful clinical benefits realized from selected targeted therapies. In their constant development, the survival advantage of these new anti-cancer therapies has been demonstrated not only in the first-line setting, but, lately, even in patients with recurrent disease after failure of one or two previous chemotherapy lines. The first agents in this broad class to demonstrate clinical efficacy were the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase (TK) inhibitors. Erlotinib, an EGFR, and bevacizumab, a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR), are the best representative new drugs for tumour control and palliation. This article reviews the most promising new targeted agents including those that have already been approved and are currently used in the medical practice.